Phillip Hughes named in 12-man squad for first Test

Former Test opener Phillip Hughes has won the contest to replace retired Test batsman Ricky Ponting in the side to play Sri Lanka in Hobart next week.

National selector John Inverarity announced the squad of 12 from the WACA ground in Perth.

Hughes returns to Bellerive Oval where he last played a Test for Australia in its narrow loss to New Zealand a year ago.

The former New South Wales batsman has played 17 Tests for Australia at a batting average of 34.58, including three centuries wearing the baggy green.

Hughes' impressive Sheffield Shield form in his first season with South Australia has seen him win selection ahead of his main rivals Usman Khawaja, Rob Quiney and Alex Doolan.

The left-hander became the first player to pass 500 Shield runs during the current campaign at an average of 51.80.

Inverarity said national selectors opted against bringing Hughes into the side for the South African series but said the time is now right to call him into the squad for a third time.

He confirmed selection discussions on a replacement for Ponting included Hughes, Khawaja, Quiney and Doolan.

"It mainly centred around Hughes and Khawaja given Khawaja is a number three," Inverarity said.

"But Hughes, who has just turned 24, with his recent stats and career stats that include three centuries, the case for him was compelling."

Inverarity said it would be left up to captain Michael Clarke as to whether Hughes would bat in Ponting's number three spot, or fit it further down the order.

Predictable changes to the bowling attack to take on Sri Lanka see pace bowlers Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus return to the side after being rested from the third Test against South Africa at the WACA ground.

John Hastings and Josh Hazelwood drop out of the 12 selected for the Perth Test. Both are battling injury.

Of the four pace bowlers in the squad Inverarity said only Siddle is a guaranteed starter for the Hobart Test.

Spinner Nathan Lyon is likely to start with one of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Hilfenhaus to be relegated to 12th man.

"Only Siddle is locked in," Inverarity said.

"I also thought Mitchell Johnson was the best of the bowlers in Perth."

Sri Lanka will settle on its Test squad following the completion of the tour game in Canberra against the Chairman's XI.

Hughes is said to have improved and there is evidence to support this claim. Despite the flaws in his technique having been quickly discovered and exploited by bowlers, his good form at shield level (against bowlers who are well aware of these flaws) indicates that he has only faced second rate bowlers (unlikely) or that he has in fact improved his technique. He is certainly worth another chance!

the selectors keep pushing this useless #$%$ why because he's originally from N.S.W. i swear they are lining hughesless up to be the next captain. after they force this useless #$%$ into the team then the next useless wanker they will try is that steve smith another #$%$ head. this so calle daustralian squad should be called N.S.W. A squad. i go for the opposition now. all interstate teams should refuse to sign any player that was originally from N.S.W. and develop your own local talent. but make these players aware the only way you can make this so called australian squad is by being born in N.S.W. otherwise you dont have a chance...GO SRI LANKA WIPE THE FLOOR WITH N.S.W. A SQUAD

Hi Jones: Nice to see you again. Jones, there are only two (or perhaps 3 but that's simply splitting dna) things you can be (on a basic level) White or black (or various percentages of the two). If you are white and insist on claiming the 5 generations of British Born Blask (sic) people as you your own, then you are a hypocrite. Only a hyprocrite would believe (and I'll stick with cricketers here given you seem to enjoy the fact that England hold the Ashes currently) that Devon Malcolm, Gladstone Small, Dean Headley, Norman Cowans, Alex Tudor or many other black cricketers were treated fairly, and solely on their ability, by the selectors, or that any of these men played enough tests, based on ability, compared to some of the white cricketers who took their places.
If you are black and insist on believing that you are an equally valued and welcomed part of GB society as compared to a white person, then you are a fool. The evidence is fairly conclusive: Look to the cricketing statistics above or simply look at how big a percentage of the GB prison population is black compared to the percentage of the overall population of GB which is black. Studies report that GB locks up their black citizens ate a greater rate than teh US.
Once you have digested this please pizz off back to the mother country and take Lance/Claudia/Thumb Down etal (it's only one more seat on the plane after all) with you.